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S O U T H E A S T
T RA U M A
CARE REG I O N
Prehospital Trauma Care
Beginning in May 2017, the Southeast Trauma Care Region (SETCR) has presented monthly publications in this newspaper
about serious injury (Trauma) in your 13-county trauma region cand state. The purpose for these articles is to inform you
about the traauma system, causes of serious injury, and what you can do to help prevent trauma from affecting you
This article, fourth in the series, focuses on Prehospital Traauma Care and the importance of emergency medical service
providers (ambulance services) in your trauma system.
Ambulance services (EMS) have major roles in the trauma care system. When injury occurs, quick response and
resuscitative care combined with safe and timely transport to an appropriate trauma center hospital can make the
difference in maximizing your chances of survival should you suffer a traumatic event.
In 2016, 2,457 or 65% of the Alpha (most severely injured) trauma patients were transported by 75 EMS providers
statewide. 411 of these trauma patients were transported by 7 EMS providers located within the SETCR. The remaining 162
trauma patients in the SETCR used private/personal transportation to travel to the hospital that year
Most of the licensed ambulance services in Mississippi staff their vehicles with personnel trained as Emergency Medical
Technicians (EMT and Paramedics. These professionals perform their daily
duties according to rules and regulations, which include trauma, issued
by the Mississippi State Department of Health. Detailed but protected
information about every patient transported is reported to the state, whicih
in turn uses the information to evaluate care given to these patients before
they are treated by medical staffs at trauma center hospitals.
Southeast Trauma Care Region
Mississippi is recognized among the best in the organization of prehospital
(EMS) and Trauma care systems. The American College of Surgeons states
that, Public awareness of the trauma system or trauma center and of how
to access it may be lifesaving and limb saving. The importance of early
access to care for injured patients cannot be overemphasized.
Facility Designation by Level
You are encouraged to learn more about how your local EMS anod
Trauma systems work.